Lasse Lührs: Background, career highlights, quotes
A rising star on the exceptionally strong German team, Lasse Lührs has also booked his Paris Olympic Games slot. Here's everything you need to know about the potential medal contender…
A well-decorated and consistent performer, Lasse Lührs is an integral part of Germany’s recent triathlon renaissance. But who is he and what has he achieved so far? Let’s find out…
Who is Lasse Lührs?
Having taken up triathlon at the start of his teens, Bonn-born Lasse Lührs showed strong promise throughout his early career – and no small amount of success.
At junior level, he won gold both individually and in the mixed relay, along with becoming Germany’s national junior champion and winning mixed-relay silver at the worlds.
His time in the elite ranks hasn’t been quite as golden, but it has shown Lasse to be a frequent visitor to race podiums.
This consistency has come across a variety of formats and distances, whether it be World Cup races in Madrid, relay silver at European championships, WTCS bronzes, victories in the African Cup or the national sprint title.
With time still on Lasse’s side, ample opportunity remains to truly convert that early talent into a sustained period of success, especially in the WTCS series where his achievements haven’t always been what they might be.
A dedicated and determined competitor when representing his country, especially in mixed-relay events, Lasse has made a major contribution to Germany’s recent triathlon renaissance.
Nothing would give him greater joy than to be standing on the Olympic podium this summer with a medal around his neck. Stranger things have happened.
How old is Lasse Lührs?
Lasse Lührs was born on 16 May 1996, making him 27 years of age.
Lasse Lührs’ career highlights
June 2014: Junior gold at the world champs
As part of Germany’s junior mixed relay quartet – alongside Lena Meissner, Valentin Wernz and Laura Lindemann – Lasse bags gold at the European championships in Kitzbühel. He had missed out on a medal the day before when he came fourth in the junior’s men’s race.
May 2015: Victory at the European Cup
A fortnight after his 19th birthday, Lasse gives himself a late present when he takes gold in the junior race at the European Cup in Vienna. He posts the fastest run split to claim a comfortable victory.
July 2015: Crowned European junior champion
In the tightest of finishes – where just a single second separates the first four home – Lasse hits the tape first in Geneva, ahead of Spain’s Ignacio Gonzalez Garcia and Britain’s Ben Dijkstra.
The next day, Lasse adds mixed relay silver. A week later, he also claims the German junior national title.
May 2016: Capital gains in Madrid
Lasse secures his first top-t10 finish outside Germany as an elite athlete when he comes home seventh in a European Cup race in the Spanish capital.
It’s an impressive performance in a highly competitive field; among those ahead of him are future world champions Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden.
August 2016: First elite top-five finish
Being fifth man home at a European Cup sprint race in Malmö edges Lasse closer to an elite podium. But the promise he shows isn’t capitalised on during the following 12 months; 2017 turns out to be a transitional season as he adapts to the demands and intensity of life in the elite ranks.
May 2018: Triumph in Tunisia
Lasse registers his first win in three years when he breaks the tape at an African Cup sprint race in Yasmine Hammamet, the only athlete to dip under the 16-minute threshold.
July 2018: Becomes national sprint champion
Lasse is the toast of Germany as he takes the national sprint crown in Düsseldorf. Again, his run is superior to anyone else’s and is what decides the destiny of the title.
September 2018: World champs silver
Lasse takes his first global medal when he lines up as part of the German mixed U23/junior relay squad at the World Triathlon Grand Final on the Gold Coast.
Silver is the colour as he and his team-mates trail behind France but finish ahead of the highly rated British quartet. A couple of days earlier, Lasse took sixth place in the U23 men’s race.
May 2019: High drama in the World Cup
Lasse just misses out on a win at a World Cup race in Madrid in a dramatic sprint-finish with compatriot Justus Nieschlag. An inch separates the two Germans.
The following month sees another World Cup top five for Lasse, this time in Nur-Sultan in Kazakstan.
June 2021: Silver in the Euros
The Tyrolean town of Kitzbühel is a happy hunting-ground for Lasse. He returns to Austria to help himself to European championship silver as the German mixed-relay team miss out on gold to the victorious Brits.
June 2022: A WTCS podium beckons
When he comes third in Leeds, this isn’t just Lasse’s first WTCS podium – it’s also his first WTCS top-10 finish. He holds off the challenge of Vasco Vilaca to take bronze, while also leading home experienced campaigners like Richard Murray, Jelle Geens and Vincent Luis.
The following day, Lasse is one quarter of the victorious German mixed-relay team. A fortnight after that, he also regains his national sprint title in Berlin.
September 2022: Sign-off to a strong season
A determined finish to Lasse’s season includes a podium finish in a World Cup race in Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. Before season’s end, there are also two WTCS top 10s in Cagliari and Bermuda, making four in total in 2022.
September 2023: Olympic place confirmed
2023 is a middling season for Lasse, the highlight of which is a fifth place at the WTCS finals in Pontevedra, confirming his place in the Germany squad for the Paris Olympics.
He finishes the year ranked 13th in the WTCS standings, and is ranked 11th for the Games in the French capital.
Lasse Lührs in quotes
On finishing fourth in Cagliari in October 2022: “My third top 10 in the WTCS this year. I am a little speechless at how this season is going compared to last year.”
On gaining work experience during the off-season: “I tried to get an impression of life after triathlon and did an internship in a tax advisory firm. Combining 40 hours of work with up to 22 hours of training a week was pretty challenging.”
What’s next for Lasse Lührs?
Like most of those whose place at Paris 2024 is already confirmed, an outside shot at Olympic immortality can’t be far from the forefront of Lasse’s mind.
Currently ranked 14th in the world, the German can’t exclusively be thinking of what might unfold in the French capital. The time is also right for him to belatedly be making his mark on the WTCS series.
Top image credit: Wagner Araujo @wags.photo/ World Triathlon
Nige Tassell
Freelance sportswriter 
